Gay bars tucson

It's 1 p.m. on a weekday afternoon, and Tom Novakowski is doing what he's done almost every day for the past 40 years—tending bar. More specifically, he's tending a gay bar.

Away from the glare of the summer sun, IBT's on Fourth Avenue offers a dark, cool respite. Novakowski stands behind the club's bar with a cup of coffee in one hand, occasionally putting it down to pour a drink for a daytime patron, or to fold bar towels in preparation for the evening rush.

At the height of Tucson's gay-bar era—the late-1970s into the mid-'80s—there were about a dozen bars, and Novakowski recalls most of their names: the Graduate, the Venture, Sir James, Hair Tiz, the Joshua Tree/Backdoor, the Stonewall Eagle, Michael's, the Fineline, Rita's, Colette's, Venture, Lucky Pierre's and IBT's.

Today's gay-bar scene includes about a half-dozen places: IBT's, as adequately as Woody's, New Rock, Brodie's Tavern, Venture-N, and Colors.

June Thomas, author of The Gay Bar: Its Riotous Past and Uncertain Future, wrote a six-part series on the history and the future of the gay bar for Slate.com last year.

"In 2007, Entrepreneur Magazine put same-sex attracted bars on its list of businesses facing exti gay bars tucson

Where are all the queer bars in Tucson?

Tucson has always has been very accepting of all people, especially gays. One of the great benefits of acceptance is less segregation. There are some bars that are considered actual lgbtq+ bars in Tucson, and the most popular is IBT's. Awesomely, is that a word? Well, I'm going to use it. Awesomely, you will detect gay, lesbian, trans and straight people all hanging out together in whatever bars or venue in Tucson. The community here is so evolved and conscious, that everyone simply hangs out with each other anywhere and everywhere. No matter gender, sexuality, ethnicity or class -- Tucsonans embrace and rejoice diversity to reinforce the values of love and abolish hate and negativity.

One of the most active areas for lgbtq+, lesbian, LGBT, LGBTQ and straight people to socialize is downtown all throughout the light rail district.

The light rail travels to all the downtown steamy spots. It goes from the Mercado through downtown on Congress St. And then from downtown, it goes up through 4th Ave and on to the U of A main gate square area. There are currently over 30 bars and clubs to explore and more and more keep popping it everywhere. It's an excit

An Oscar-winning film made a historic AZ gay prevent a punchline — and 'opened a conversation'

Cord Jefferson, a former journalist and veteran TV writer who was born in Tucson, won an Academy Award for best-adapted screenplay earlier this year for his debut film "American Fiction" (2023), which also earned 4.5/5 stars from The Republic's film critic Bill Goodykoontz.

While it's a wonderful movie, there's one line that struck a nerve with some viewers, particularly those within Tucson's Diverse community.

About 25 minutes into the film, the main character Thelonious "Monk" (Jeffrey Wright) has a conversation with his brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) in which Monk asks, "What's wrong with Tucson?"

Cliff responds, "There's one gay prevent and it's full of college kids."

It's something of a throwaway line, followed immediately by a joke about said college kids confusing Cliff for Tyler Perry, which is referenced again at the finish of the film.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Most viewers probably forgot about the Tucson line by the end of the film. But for those who live in Tucson and are part of the city's vibrant Queer scene, it stuck out because, joke or not, it'

Best Gay Bar

It's About Period (IBT's)
616 N. Fourth Ave.

READERS' PICK: Nobody ever complains the scene's a drag at IBT's. Sometimes in drag, but never a drag, this long-standing readers' favorite is a great place to move, converse or just end in for a frozen one. Inside the atmosphere is always festive, the music always hip (these guys were doing the Macarena long before it conquered the mainstream bars); and outside is one of the best block patios in Tucson, with heat lamps in winter that one patron says "ensure you're always adjacent a hot flame." Unlike many bars around town, you don't have to have the inside path to have a great time at IBT's. Optimal of all, there's never a cover charge.

READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: The Plug (formerly Club 2520), 2520 N. Oracle Road.

STAFF PICK: If you're exhausted of wimpy gay bars full of clean-cut posers and homo-wannabe's, head to The Graduate, 37 W. University Blvd., where a pre-stonewall atmosphere and a foaming mug o' beer await. The drag queens here are wearing sequins and lace because they like to, not because it looks good on them, and the butch guys could out-smoke the Marlboro Man, out-dr